Trump Enlists Deputy To Thank Peter Navarro For His Service In Prison

While the former president couldn’t be bothered to make the trek amid a campaign schedule that has to be juggled with in-person appearances at his criminal trial in New York, Donald Trump sent a deputy in his stead to make sure Peter Navarro felt appreciated for his Trump family loyalty, as he does time for refusing to comply with a congressional investigation.

The president’s son Donald Trump Jr. — who has increasingly been serving as a surrogate for his dad on the campaign trail while the Manhattan trial is underway — visited Navarro in Miami where he is currently being held at Federal Prison Camp, ABC News reported Monday.

Navarro was, of course, sentenced to four months in prison in January for refusing to sit for testimony and ignoring subpoenas for documents from the House January 6 Select Committee as part of its investigation into the attack on the Capitol. The committee subpoenaed Navarro in February 2022, seeking information about Navarro, Steve Bannon and other Trump allies’ efforts to delay the certification of President Biden’s Electoral College victory on the day of the attack. Navarro also infamously authored a report in December 2020 that pushed lies about widespread misconduct in the 2020 election — a report that Trump referenced when he encouraged his followers to come to the Capitol for a “Big protest” on Jan. 6.

In court, Navarro used the now-very-familiar argument that Trump had invoked executive privilege over his testimony, but he was unable to provide evidence of such a declaration from Trump and Trump himself would not back up Navarro’s claims in court. After the Supreme Court refused in March to block Navarro’s prison sentence while he appealed his conviction, the former White House official had to report to prison.

While Trump didn’t stick out his neck for Navarro when it mattered, he reportedly sent his son to check in, mob boss style. Per ABC News:

The Best Of TPM Today

Catch up on more of Josh Kovensky’s stellar, unmatched coverage of the Trump trial here: Michael Cohen Called To The Stand In Donald Trump’s New York Criminal Trial

Khaya Himmelman’s latest report on True the Vote’s efforts to wreak havoc on the 2024 election: Far-Right Group Recruits Followers To Overwhelm Election Offices With Voter Roll Challenges

Yesterday’s Most Read Story

Tragedy and Folly — Josh Marshall

What We Are Reading

Trump Wants to Deport Pro-Palestine Protesters—and GOP Lawmakers Are Filing Bills to Make It Happen — Mother Jones

Attack a Democrat Charged With Corruption?  Republicans Wouldn’t Dare. — The Atlantic

State Republican parties are going rogue — WaPo